General
= Myradon = "Myradon" is the name of a far-off realm, containing one large continent and several large islands or island-chains, with the southern portion of the landscape turning hot and tropical, and the northern edge of the realm being cold, sub-tundra environments. The largest landmass is the contenent referred to as the "Mainlund", which comprises most of the land area of Myradon. Inside this land mass are tropical jungles and swamps in the southeast, warm forests and plains in the central and western portions, sub-tundral forests along the northern edge, a cold-desert in the northwest, a mountain ring surrounding a fiery desert in the east, and a central mountain spine running north and south down the center, among many other features. In addition to the Mainlund, the large island of Calcova sits off the northwestern shores of the main land mass, and the island group of Gruthar sits off in the southwestern, tropical seas. Several other smaller islands exist, including a barren rocky crag called "New Kharsis" right in the northern sea above the Mainlund. A chain of tropical islands runs off the southeastern edge of the Mainlund. The realm of Myradon is currently fairly evenly divided in power among a collection of several powerful nations, with several more lesser nations in the mix as well. No one nation dominates the landscape currently (although this was not always the case), but several are in very tense relations with each other, and the threat of war is possible, if not eminant. The nations of the land have tried to avoid another large scale war by forming what is referred to as the "Federation of Nations", a politcal entity were each nation gets a voice and a common vote to try to staive off bloodshed. How successful this Federation will be remains to be seen, but it is helping to hold the peace for the time being. The major nations of the realm include: * Partha - an industrious, intellectual human nation, focused on law, democracy, and order, with an imperialist past * Calcova - a combined nation of gnomes and half-giants (with some humans as well), former foes, who are exploding with a new and powerful merchant class * Gruthar - an ancient Ogre empire, openly evil and ambitious, bidding their time until their conquests can resume * Footlands - a newer society of humans who specialize in seafaring, ship-building and merchant activities * Bhesina - a country of monotheistic human prostelitizers, seeking to expand their faith and families into any and all unsettled lands Lesser nations include: * Northpoint - a fading empire of previously hostile faerie-descendents, isolated from most folks now * The Silk Kingdom - bizarre spider-folk whom rule the underground castles of the dwarves, whom they evicted centuries ago * New Kharsis - displaced, bitter, noble dwarves, obsessed with nothing more than brutal vengence on their enemies * The Iron-Sea Desert - a small but flourisihing community of adaptable, stoic, alouf dwarves living in the cold-desert in the western Mainlund * The Forests of Ashtar - another ancient faerie-people, previously known for their cannibalistic ways, seeking isolation in this modern age * Sylivas - aging homeland of the elves, a last refuge for their ancient ways * Garmond - cousins to Partha, content to fight amongst themselves or anyone else who encroaches on their territory * The Gray Coast - sea-going and swamp-dwelling lizardmen dwell here, adventuring out into nearby terrotories for fame and glory * The Mist Mountains - home to an almost-monastic, reclusive family of halflings, forced more and more to engage with the other powers of the land to prevent war These nations all have a voice in the Federation of Nations, and work with and against each other in political manueverings in shifting alliances. Right now, there are a series of conflicts between the nations in question, including: A trade dispute between Partha and Calcova over which nation will control the Straits of Benuva, which separate Calcova from the Mainlund, and are increasingly important to trade. Gruthar retains its ambitions to conquor Calcova and Partha, and is trying to establish more secretive bases on the mystic, wild, eastern edge of the Mainlund. Garmond and the Footlands are becoming increasingly agitated with the settlers from Bhesina whom are pushing into the previously free open spaces between these lands The Footlands are building a new naval fleet in secret to be sold to the Parthians, whom have always lacked a strong navy Calcova continues a rapid (and some would say brutal) settlement of its wild northern territory, displacing barbarian humans and orcs along the way. New Kharsis continues to try to push Partha into helping it re-invade the dwarvin ancestral home of the Kharos Mountains, where the Arachnids of the Silk Kingdom currently reside. The realm of Myradon was not always as it is presently. Its long history can be roughly divided into several eras, dating back many centuries up to modern times. The Ancient Era - In this time, the humans of Myradon were mostly barbarians living in the central Mainlund, fighting amongst themselves in tribal collectives. The elves spread out from their home in Sylivas across the southern edge of the Mainlund, and into contact with these humans in the central grasslands of the continent. The Fae Horde from the east invades the central Mainlund from their home in the Fae Kingdom, to establish kingdoms in the north-eastern and central-eastern sections of the Mainlund, respectively, and begin their practice of raiding the human settlements in the central portion of the region. In the latter days of this era, the dwarves of the Kharos Mountains become a powerful, but isolated force within their mountain stronghold, and the Mushiff humans who latter rule the Footlands arrive from southern lands via ships. The Barbarian Era - The human barbarians of the central Mainlund are united by a series of increasingly powerful and cohesive warlords, until they effectively become one fighting force, and begin taking over terrority from the elves, along with forcing the dwarves to withdraw further underground. Human tribes whom do not join this collective are stamped out, and many battles with the fae-kin of the east are waged. The bizarre Arachnid people emerge within the dwarvin stronghold, seeking asylum from forces chasing them in the Underdark, and are granted it. The Ogre kingdom of Gruthar begins colonizing the remote, northern sections of the island of Calcova in secret, planning to use half-giant slaves to work the land. Also on Calcova, gnomish settlers move in from lands far off to the west via ships. Halflings move in to the Mainlund from the east, mostly into the southern coastline and the Mist Mountains. Eventually, the human barbarian tribes begin to form permanent cities. The Settlement Era - With the barbarian tribes settling into non-nomadic societies, several countries emerge, including Partha, Bhesina, and Hargoth (near modern day Garmond). The Ural and Mushiff humans of the Footlands push out the other human races from their area after joining forces, and come into contact with the Tyrazyne Lizardmen to their east. The Arachnid people living as refugees with the dwarves under the Kharos Mountains launch a surprise insurrection and routes the dwarvin nation in a brutal victory, expelling the dwarves onto the surface world. The Kharzhak clan moves onto the desolate "Rock Island" (rechristened "New Kharsis") and the Numbhar clan is nearly dispersed. In the Mystic East, the Mur-ain fae-people's war-like Nuual Dynasty is replaced with a less agrressive, isolationist government. As this era winds down, the human barbarian cultures in the central Mainlund grow with power again. The Parthian Era - Human settlements in the north-central Mainlund coalesce into a powerful nation called Partha, and begin using advanced technology and tactics to smash other barbarian rivals. The new nation of Hargoth is wiped out by these people nearly overnight, and Garmond emerges as a vassel state to Partha from Hargoth's ashes. Bhesina comes under Parthian control, and the majority of the raider barbarian cultures living in the Iron-Sea Desert are eliminated. The majority of elves retreat behind the Cyrse Mountains into their homeland of Sylivas, with the wild "Sidhe" elves moving east away from heavy human populations. Partha pushes the faerie nations & people (the Mur-ain of Northpoint and the Redcaps of Ashtar) back deep into their territory in the east, away from the edge of human society. The Numbhar Dwarvin clan begins migrating into a new society in the Iron-Sea Desert. The Footlands humans and the Tyrazyne of the Gray Coast combine navies to evict the Grutharian outposts and forts from their coastal islands, and the half-gaints of Calcova break free from their ogre masters in a slave revolt. The Late Parthian Era - A series of internal wars weakens the empire of Partha, and an emperor there is assassinated by a Gurtharian spy, prompting a war between Gruthar and Partha, which ends in a stalement and an embaresement to both sides. In the aftermath of this conflict, Bhesina violently breaks free of Parthia control, and Garmond follows suite (albeit with less bloodshed) as Partha cannot devote the resources to reigning in these lands. Bhesina embraces a bizarre monotheistic religion as part of their independence. The gnomish and half-giant people of Calcova put aside their differences to form a cohesive nation there, and destroy the ogre outposts on their island to remove all Grutharian presence from their lands. The newly formed nation allows their fastest growing port city (Jetar) to be controlled by human merchants, which feeds its economic growth. Calcova skrimishes with Partha breifly, threatening the old human empire with new air-balloon technology. Northpoint draws its official territory back much further east after brief battles with the Arachnids of the Silk Kingdom, who are started to push their influence onto the surface world around the Kharos Mountains. In Calcova, Jetar becomes the largest city in the known realm after several decades of economic growth. The Federation Era - New lords take power in Gruthar, and re-target Calcova, setting up secret forts in the wild northern tip of the land, as well as claiming some small islands off the Sylivas and Gray Coast territory coastlines. The Numbhar dwarves of the Iron-Sea desert begin to prosper, after nearly dying out. Garmond renews its cultural ties to Partha, but remains independent, while Bhesinian expansion into the lands between these three nations provokes all its neighbors into an alerted state. Partha proposes and forms the Federation of Nations to resolve national disputes, with all major nations participating, at least at face value. Calcova begins a massive settlement policy to tame the wild barbarian and orc held lands in its northern territories. Recent, Optional Timeline Events & Quest Hooks * The Dwarven Reclamation * The Mad Commander * The Black Well of the Old Ones